Michigan Unemployment rate highest in 26 years

• As reported by the Detroit Bureau, The Michigan Unemployment rate is the highest in the last 26 years and will probably get worse even if the economy improves. The 14.1 percent is highest since it hit 14.2 in 1983 losing 24,000 payroll jobs in May and shedding 303,000 jobs in the past 12 months.
• The Kalamazoo Community Mental Health has bought a new building, but has put the move on hold because it wants to wait until plans for a downtown arena are finalized and the state's budget picture becomes more clear.

Can Stimulus help turn the tide? Job losses, plant closes and budget cuts running amuck

The Kalamazoo Gazette reported a feature on the joblessness in Southwest Michigan this weekend. In Kalamazoo, the unemployment rate of 9.7% is up 70% from last year.

The Gazette interviewed a cross-section of the community and found many poignant stories that brought the stark numbers to life. Not surprisingly, many we talked with were reluctant to share publicly their personal tales.

A single mother who previously earned more than $60,000 a year moved to Kalamazoo from out of state to care for a sick parent. She left behind more than a job -- she lost her home, her car, and some of her pride. She now lives with that parent, is supported by that parent and has only found occasional part-time employment.

Then there's the married father of two who was downsized out of his career after 32 years. A family member offered him a job out of state, but he can't sell his home for a large-enough sum to cover the mortgage. And not only does he feel stuck, his wife's job could be on the chopping block. Without her job, the family loses its health insurance, a devastating possibility considering one of their daughters is ill and recently moved back home.

These reports are all to familiar for many of us who have felt the job losses among our friends and families first hand. In addition, a plant in South Haven will close sometime this month leading to the loss of some 279 jobs. This is a significant loss considering South Haven only has 1,070 industrial jobs total, meaning it only 2/3 of those jobs will remain after the closing. Though local officials are working to diversify the community, it will take some time to restore losses this large.

Meanwhile, teachers who cannot afford to retire are disrupting school budgets. Sixteen teachers are retiring from Kalamazoo Public Schools, less than half the usual number. A state buyout planned that failed early this month has limited financial flexibility of those wanting to retire. This adds to budget woes already faced by some schools - Portage schools are now poised to cut teachers, buses and custodians in an effort to balance their budget.

There is some hope on the horizon as Joe Biden's visit to the region announced a new federal bond program that could inject $102 million into Southwest Michigan's economy. The plan could allow government and private businesses in Michigan to sell $2 billion in bonds. Kalamazoo County could get $46.1 million; Allegan County, $18.9 million; Cass County, $9.9 million; St. Joseph County, $14.0 million; and Van Buren County, $13.5 million, according to the U.S. Treasury.

The program has two types of bonds. Recovery Zone Facility Bonds give private businesses a low-cost way to finance capital projects such as building a hotel or manufacturing plant, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds allow state and local governments to finance projects such as infrastructure improvements or job-training and educational programs.

Good news to give support to development in SW Michigan that has been halted if not reduced over this economic downscale. Regardless, the PRI has its work cut out for it in the coming months.

Friday Round-up

Federal stimulus funds help stabilize Kalamazoo Public Schools budget - for now (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• Officials at Kalamazoo Public Schools closed out their budget for the 2008-09 school year and approved a $129.5 million plan for 2009-10, they credited federal stimulus money for the district's relative fiscal stability.

Events to help Ecumenical Senior Center get money to help operations (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• A donor has agreed to match up to $12,400 to help elminate the budget surpless at the Ecumentical Senior Center. I've had the pleasure of visiting on of there fundraisings as a fish fry this winter; they are a wonderful organization and provide a great service to senior citizens of Kalamazoo.

United Ways Funding for Local Programs will by decrease 17 percent (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• Tough news for local non-profits - the Greater Kalamazoo United Way will decrease its funding for local programs by nearly 17 percent after its annual fundraiser fell short. The United Way funds for categories of non-profits: physical and mental health; strengthening families and youths; increasing self-sufficiency; and strengthening community. Service Providers to those in poverty will have to look elsewhere to fill their funding gaps.

MSU Extension Offering Cultural Competency Series in Battle Creek

• One of the content areas that in focus is the socioeconomic and hierarchies within organizational settings.
• More Info:

The Cultural Competency series is grounded in an underlying principle that diversity is not simply a process of learning about “others,” but that it begins with developing an understanding of one’s own cultural identity, beliefs, biases, worldviews and attitudes about differences. These learning opportunities provide a framework for an individual to define cultural competency within the context of their environment and to assess cultural competency at four levels (personal, interpersonal, institutional and cultural). Additionally, the series content will explore the interconnectedness of identities across differences and their relationship to power and privilege. The series content is presented through a combination of lecture, readings, small group activities, and project development and provides participants with skills that can be applied in numerous settings across work responsibilities and their careers.

August 19-20, 2009

Module 1: Building Foundations for Growth and Change

October 27-28, 2009

Module 2: Exploring Identity, Oppression and Privilege

December 9-10, 2009

Module 3: Developing Authentic Relationships across Difference

February 23-24, 2010

Module 4: Exploring Transformational Leadership and Multicultural Change

April 6-7, 2010

Module 5: Moving Toward Sustainable Multicultural Change

Times for all modules are: Day 1 – 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Day 2 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Series Location: Fairfield Inn, 4665 Beckley Road, Battle Creek, MI 49015

Series Costs: $500.00 MSUE staff

$800.00 Non-MSUE Participants (Partial scholarships may be available)

(*For those needing overnight accommodations there is an additional charge of $89.00 per night)

Undergraduate or graduate credit available (3 credit hours total)

Register at: http://web2.canr.msu.edu/inservice/Register_add_form.cfm?course=6747

For more information about the series contact Dionardo Pizaña (pizanad@msu.edu), 517-432-2666 or Karen Pace (pace1@msu.edu), 517-432-7628.

Raising a Whisper

The One Community Leadership Team is certainly making progress in creating a comprehensive method to reduce poverty in Southwest Michigan. Today we gathered together key leaders from the region, drafted a charter, created subcommittees to take action and are mulling over what key issues to advocate for.

This team was created to organize a comprehensive poverty reduction effort that encompassed all the citizens in need of Southwest Michigan. With so much momentum gathered in one direction, there is much to be hopeful for.

But leaders and citizens alike: be warned - this is no task for those who lack dedication. If this is not taken seriously, it has serious potential to fail. However, if pursued vigorously, it also has the potential to succeed beyond our hopes.

It reminds me of a quote from the movie Gladiator, where the emperor is speaking of the decline of his empire due to corruption and war:

"There was a dream that was Rome. I can only whisper of it now. Anything more than a whisper and the dream vanishes. It's so... fragile."

The dream of a "communitarian society," ask Lewis Walker Institute's Director Tim Ready eloquently spoke, is such a whisper. Our society is on a similar verge of decline, with its vices being greed and indifference. The dream that every person have a chance to succeed is seriously threatened by our economic climate.

Hence, it will take quite the effort of both of leaders and citizens to sustain this whisper. It will take time out of personal lives, rearrangement of priorities, and eliminating excuses to accomplish our hope. It will take passion during times of despair, and hard work in times of exhaustion.

I know that now is the time in history to lift people out of poverty, an opportune moment to raise equity and create a sustainable future for all citizens.

It will simply take a lot more than lip service to accomplish these tasks. Be prepared to commit when you are asked to do so.

The leadership team meeting in Kalamazoo

Thursday Round-up

$8.4M apartment complex to house homeless veterans (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• An $8.4 million apartment complex that will provide transitional housing for homeless veterans from Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties is expected to open in late summer.Veterans will pay 30 percent of their adjusted gross incomes for the transitional housing - if there is no income, they will be able to live for free.

Summer-job Program in Kzoo specifically for lower income (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• Unlike last summer, Youth Opportunities Unlimited summer positions in Kalamazoo and other parts of Southwest Michigan are only available to youth whose families have household incomes below certain levels. The federal stimulus dollars stipulates that the maximum annual household income in order to be eligible for the program is $23,239 for a family of four, $18,824 for a family of three, $14,570 for a family of two and $10,830 for an individual.
• The Poverty Reduction Initiative has taken advantage of this program to hire a summer intern, who will work on the community indicators database - mapping service providers in Kalamazoo
  

GM Forced to Restructure Through Bankruptcy

As I vacationed for 4 days over the weekend, I came back to find that Michigan news was really focused on two stories: The bankruptcy of GM and the Detroit Red Wings. Well, only one of these stories really applies to the equity of Southwest Michigan and PRI (well, unless you consider hockey a systemic barrier break sport).

Despite all the gloom and doom scenarios, Chicago Fed Senior Economist William Straus actually things the deal that GM brokered will be good for Michigan, or at least put us on a better path. His comments below:

More volunteers making a regional impact

• Adult volunteerism in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties was up 33 percent during the first four months of this year compared with the same period in 2008, said Doris Higgins, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan (Herald Palladium).
  
  
• With unemployment rates as high as 12%, which doesn't factor into the underemployed - aka people who work part-time but need full-time, volunteerism has become a popular way to spend one's time and make new connections in the community. For those with little money, its also a free activity!
  

• Thirty-year-old Ebony Flie is becoming another Habitat For Humanity success story. She will move into a new house this fall with her daughter Arieonia, 11; and sons Aquariez, 9, and Aries, 13. (Kalamazoo Weekly)
  
  
• Homebuyers must put in 300 to 500 hours of sweat equity labor, depending on his or her circumstances. Ebony's requirements include 300 hours of labor, participating in financial literacy, budgeting, and home maintenance classes. “I’ve always had the dream of owning my own house by the time I’m 30,” said Ebony, who will turn 31 in October.

Community Service Database Making Progress

The city of Kalamazoo is one step closer to having a streamlined system that organizes the areas major human services into one, decipherable database. While systems like the 211 and Kalamazoo Library's Public Library's Local Information Directory do excellent work in directing residents to services the they need, there appeared to be a large gap between the two databases in establishing one, comprehensive resource for the community.

The Poverty Reduction Initiative, in collaboration with WMU's Lewis Walker institute, saw this as valuable opportunity to improve upon the services that currently exist. Instead of recreating an entire network, the PRI is working with both 211 and the Kalamazoo library to consolidate these two databases in to one, making it easier for residents to access it. We are also looking to improve upon the navigational methods, making the it easier to search and find resources in need.

A great example of resource mapping is the Washington DC's Food Finder, which uses google maps to locate services closes to where a person resides. Where the Kalamazoo database will differ is that it will service areas beyond food help to its residents, making it even more valuable to residents.

Mapping this complicated and scrambled maze of services will not be easy, but the results will surely be realized in there impact upon both residents and human service organizations. Having this database will not only allow residents to access them easier, but also allow for service organizations that already exist to better understand where to direct their time and energy.

Look forward to seeing more updates on the database this fall, where the research will begin to transform into a interface for the Kalamazoo community.

Will sustainability covenant produce results for Southwest Michigan?

According to a Kalamazoo Gazette Article,

"Area governments, higher-education institutions and others have pledged to make the region a better place to live, work and play by signing the Southwest Michigan Regional Sustainability Covenant.

The Kalamazoo-Battle Creek sustainability covenant, similar to one Grand Rapids enacted in 2006, commits governments, businesses, hospitals, colleges and others to work to address the environmental, economic and social issues.

The covenant was unveiled Wednesday at the Kalamazoo Public Schools' Edison Environmental Science Academy at a meeting with the Kalamazoo Gazette and Battle Creek Enquirer editorial boards, and later during a news conference."

There have been rumors of a covenant floating around in Kalamazoo Leadership circles and I'm happy to see that regional collaboration has produced something substantial. However, major questions still remain before the covenant can be seem as effective and productive on a level that achieved in other regions such as Grand Rapids.

The first point of interest whether its broad statement will translate into tangible results. I believe that it will generate progress in a positive direction for the communities involved.

However, my greatest concerns still lie in the regions lack of initiative to hire locally and involve people in poverty into the process. As many are unaware of, there are a great number of impoverished communities in Southwest Michigan that will need to benefit from a community covenant.

We need to make sure these disadvantaged populations are part of the progress, and that when it is the time and place to develop new industry in the region that we do so with local labor and hire in disadvantaged populations. Only then can the true dream of a prosperous Southwest Michigan be realized in the level that our citizens want it to be.

Kalamazoo's Northside loses its only market

The Kalamazoo Gazette reported that Felpausch Food Center on the northside of Kalamazoo will be closing at the end of the month, leaving area with no remaining supermarkets for its residents.

The closing is a blow to the disabled, elderly, and those who use public transit. They will now have to find a way to reach more distant markets to access fresh foods and vegetables. Access to healthy and nutritious food has always been a struggle for the disadvantaged and especially those in poverty. On top of paying higher rates for healthy foods, consumers will now have to travel farther to access supermarkets.

But there is hope for those seeking to have access to fresh food and vegetables. Community Gardens provide several communities a way to eat their own vegetables at low-cost, and organizations like the People's Food Co-op let residents exchange their EBT dollars into credits for the farmers market.

Still the issue remains: Will residents be able to access these services or will their circumstances keep them out of reach?